Overwintering Globe Artichokes

[P1nky]

A couple of questions. Am in East Yorkshire, exposed allotment site.

Do globe artichokes die back each year and re sprout in the Spring?
or
Should I protect them over the winter? I was thinking of using chicken wire and straw.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[smallblueplanet]

Definately protect them over winter. Every year we forget and every year we lose the lot! Doh!

[Nes]

They do die back and resprout each year, but their crowns need protection from the worst of the winter cold and wet. Joy Larkcom (in her book Grow Your Own Vegetables) advises earthing up in autumn and covering with dry leaves or heavy fleece, and removing in spring. I use dryish compost, muck or leaf mould, and a thick layer of newspaper held down by bricks. Seems to work.

[alex-adam]

My artichokes are in the garden, fairy near the house, so sheltered and I don't cover them, one clump has been going for about 8 years.

I certainly go along with advice above though when growing in an exposed position on the allotment.

a-a

[Nes]

one clump has been going for about 8 years.

General advice seems to be to renew clumps by replacing stock with healthy offshoots every 3 or 4 years and moving to a fresh site to prevent loss of vigour. Does your senior artichoke clump still produce well? If so, I may hang fire on splitting mine up - one less job to do in the spring!

[SuperDad]

Mine are on a fairly exposed allotment. I've never given them any additional protection, and they've never failed, even during ther last 2 relatively cold winters. Why don't you experiment by just protecting half your crowns?

Dave

[alex-adam]

................. Does your senior artichoke clump still produce well? ...........

It still crops reasonably well, the globes were never really big, but tasty enough. This season I had 10-11 heads of medium size. But.. I too may be taking the traditional advice and splitting it and moving next season.